"We're happy to add a player of Shalrie's experience to our team," said Schmid. "He's been to MLS Cups before in his tenure with New England. He's a player that has proven himself to be a leader in game situations and a player of his quality can only help us be a better team as we move into this season. "

In addition to Joseph, Seattle also acquired Chivas' No. 3 ranking in the allocation order, as well as their natural second round picks in the 2014 and 2015 MLS SuperDrafts. In exchange, Chivas USA took the Sounders' No. 15 spot in the allocation order.

Joseph will occupy a Designated Player spot on Seattle's roster, joining Christian Tiffert and Mauro Rosales as the club's third DP. According to Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer, the two clubs will share Joseph's salary cap hit.

Joseph, 34, had a tough time of things in 2012 after a midseason trade from New England, where he'd spent his entire MLS career, to struggling Chivas USA. New Rojiblancos coach José Luis Sánchez Solá indicated at the start of his team's 2013 training camp that Joseph was not in his plans.